Underworld
by Callista Adderwell
Summary: The Doctor and Clara (the latter unwillingly) visit the sewers of Paris, but they are surprised (and terrified) to find that a very real and ancient threat is down there... and they smell Timelord blood. I know it must have been a little slow recently, but if you stick with me, then I've got some pretty exciting parts coming up.
1. Chapter 1:

**This is my second Doctor Who story. I was up for something supernatural. Enjoy! Reviews (good and bad), comments and suggestions welcomed!**

Chapter 1: I Wish We Were At A Beatles Concert

"Doctor can we go now?" Clara asked as her foot stepped on something wet and squishy. "That better be water." She grumbled.

"I thought you wanted to see the giant rat aliens under Paris?" The Doctor called back. HE peered ahead into the darkness, his sonic screwdriver providing the only light.

"No," Clara hurried to keep up with the Doctor. ", I believe that I said something about seeing a Beatles concert?"

"How boring!" The Doctor cried. "The Beatles look exciting onstage, but, believe me, backstage they're _almost_ as boring as the Deredroids of Salium 3."

The Doctor shined his sonic screwdriver up at the round tunnel ceiling, nothing but old stone. It had been almost an hour and no giant rats. At this rate, it would take them an hour to find their way back to the TARDIS and the Doctor was growing impatient.

The sewer water sped down the tunnel to their right. The Doctor turned the sonic screwdriver's abysmal light onto it and even in the minimal light it appeared grey and murky.

"What do you suppose is in that?" Clara asked peering down at the polluted water.

"You don't want to know." The Doctor called back, far ahead of her again. Clara ran to catch up to the Timelord and held onto his coat like a small child to is mothers' hand in a department store. "Don't go wandering off now."

"Why would I want to?" Clara looked around the old tunnel. She kept getting a feeling that they were being watched, but she put it down to her own paranoia and the fact that this place was the definition of creepy.

"This place is dark, damp, creepy and…" She sniffed the air expecting to inhale mold and garbage smells, but instead she got something very different. ", and it smells like… garlic?"

The Doctor sniffed the air curiously. He searched the walls with his light until he stopped on what appeared to be eight or so bulbs of garlic apparently nailed a good six and a half feet up.

"What do we have here?" The Doctor rubbed his hands together excitedly. The twinkle of curiosity and adventure was in his eyes.

"Look!" Clara pointed to the wall on the other side of the sewage stream. At the same height as on this side hung another bunch of garlic.

"Why would someone hang garlic in a sewer?" The Doctor wondered aloud.

"They're fresh." Clara observed. "They've been placed here recently."

The Doctor turned to Clara excitedly. "You know what we have to do now?"

"Investigate." Clara sighed.

The Doctor gasped. "Clara where is your sense of adventure?"

"At a Beatles concert." Clara grumbled as the Doctor started off down the tunnel.

"It's not like you're missing the Beatles concert!" The Doctor called back gleefully. "The beauty of time travel, Clara! The beauty of time travel!"


	2. Chapter 2: A Stranger in the Dark

After another half hour of tedious travel through the damp and dark sewers, even the Doctor was getting impatient. Worse, he felt himself getting paranoid. Every click and tick had him on edge, his light would often fly across the tunnel towards wherever the sound seemed to come from. Of course, there was never anything there.

The stream ran with an incessant hissing noise and the Doctor felt as if some giant monster would rise from it at any moment. He focused on the mystery at hand and relegated these dark thoughts to the back of his mind. He could only imagine how Clara was feeling.

For her part, Clara was taking this adventure rather well. She was quiet most of the time and didn't complain. But in reality she had been feeling exactly what the Doctor had been for quite some time. The tunnel's shadows had begun to seem like dark portals that any form of monster could pop out of. She was unconsciously looking behind her, checking for some unknown stalker.

She could tell that the Doctor was afraid. He nearly jumped whenever her sneakers scuffed the floor. His body shook slightly; he was visibly on edge. The light from his sonic screwdriver was unsteady as his hand shook.

Clara wondered if the Doctor knew, or had at least come up with a theory about, what was down there. She was totally lost as to what it could be; maybe it was fear clouding her mind. The garlic reminded her of something, but she couldn't think of what.

She dared to ask the Doctor. "What do you think is down here?"

"Nothing good." Was his reply, but he didn't stop or offer to turn around.

Clara followed him, she couldn't have told anyone exactly why she did, but she followed the Doctor. Perhaps, because she knew that he would save the day and that by his side was the safest place to be.

They continued on silently for a few more minutes. Suddenly, the Doctor cried. "Did you see that?" The next thing Clara knew, the Doctor had run on ahead of her.

Panic engulfed her as she ran to try and catch up with him, but there was little light without the sonic screwdriver next to her. "Doctor! Doctor!" She yelled as she ran. Her foot caught a crack in the ground and she nearly tripped, but she caught herself.

Clara ran faster, attempting to outrun the darkness. Finally, she saw the green glow of the sonic up ahead. It occurred to her that the Doctor had stopped running. Why? What or who was ahead? There was a slight inkling in the back of Clara's mind that told her to turn back, to ignore he curiosity and to simply turn around and run away. But of course, Clara wasn't a companion, because she easily gave up and certainly not, because she would leave the Doctor. Clara hurried to his side.

Standing jauntily in front of them now was a young-ish man, he looked to be in his mid-thirties. He had a rat's nest of wavy honey colored hair that wove a long tangled mess down to his shoulders. His features were sharp and angular, they seemed chiseled out of stone, but that may have been, because his skin was as pale as marble. He wore a coat, entirely unbuttoned showing the pale skin of his abdomen. This coat was of Victorian style, yet his pants were obviously modern jeans.

"Hello." The Doctor said in, what Clara thought was, a reserved way.

The figure didn't answer. Clara bent over and whispered to the Doctor. "Doctor, what's going on? Who is that?"

The Doctor didn't answer, he kept a steady gaze that was matched by the odd gentleman. Clara followed his gaze and found the man's unnatural blood-red eyes. She gave an involuntary gasp. She hadn't noticed his eyes before, she'd been distracted by the oddness of his dress, but now she realized how threatening the man looked. His eyes were like daggers, his hands had become tense weapons ready to attack, and even his unreadable mouth seemed to be plotting their downfall.

"I'm the Doctor." The Doctor said, his face had become as unreadable as the strangers.

"We know who you are." The man's voice was raspy, like nails against a chalkboard. "We smelt you as soon as you entered our domain. Even the garlic couldn't obscure your scent, time lord."

"You know who I am," The Doctor answered genially. ", but I don't know who you are."

"Doctor!" Clara tugged at the Doctor's sleeve, trying to get his attention. "He said we."

The Doctor ignored her, but she could see that he was afraid. His breath was deeper and more ragged. He kept telling her how old he was, but she had never seen it in the youthful man before now. His hands gripped the sonic screwdriver tightly, like he was afraid to let go.

"We do not give our names to your kinds." Hissed the man.

An outline appeared in the darkness behind the man. Clara squinted, trying to make out what had appeared. Clara was growing more nervous and she couldn't understand why the Doctor wasn't listening to her. We… the word kept buzzing through her mind. Who was this man? He was dangerous she could tell, even the Doctor was scared. Why couldn't she put this together? It should be obvious shouldn't it. The clues seemed to be right in front of her, but she couldn't figure out who this man was.

Then she noticed two dots on the man's neck. They were covered in rusty looking scabs and looked like they'd been painful. Suddenly, she realized who this man was and why the Doctor was so nervous. "Vampires." She whispered.


	3. Chapter 3: A Shout in the Dark

**I'm really sorry that I haven't updated in a while, but I've had a lot going on. Well, I've finally finished this chapter and I hope you all like it. Thanks for all of the encouragement that I've seen from all of you reading. Thanks. Hopefully I'll post the next chapter sooner. Again, I'd love to hear what you guys think. Hope you enjoy.**

Chapter 3: A Shout in the Dark

Clara could feel more and more creatures converging behind the man, somehow it was more frightening not to see them. She pictured hundreds upon hundreds standing there, their backs arched like hunting cats ready to attack. The only thing worse, Clara thought, would be if she could actually see the hunters.

As if these creatures were mind readers too, a light suddenly shown from behind the man. The closer it came, the more the fear welled up inside Clara. Finally, the light bearer appeared. He was shorter than the other man, with dark hair. They should not have looked alike, yet both of their skins were so pale and their features so stone-like and sharp that it seemed as if they must be brothers. The shorter one held an old-fashioned lantern, illuminating himself, the first man and the twenty odd others congregated behind them.

Suddenly Clara realized, the Doctor had taken her hand. She looked up at him, but he had not taken his eyes off of the creatures. He gently placed the sonic screwdriver, now off, in her hand. "Doctor?" She asked, she didn't understand. He closed her hand around it. She knew he meant for her to have it and deep down she knew why, but she wouldn't let that thought form in her head, it was too terrible a thought.

"It's going to be all right Clara." The Doctor said reassuringly. "Just do what I say when the time comes."

Clara had always listened to the Doctor's instructions before, but after seeing him so terrified she wondered if perhaps they were both out of their depth. Looking at him, she could see a quiver in his jaw line, an anxious tick to arm, but also a determination in his eyes. It was the determination not to be beaten, she realized, and also the determination to get her out unharmed.

The fair haired man stared back into the Doctor's eyes, he didn't blink and Clara wondered if vampires needed to blink. He didn't seem threatened by the Doctor, like Clara had seen other enemies get, instead he looked exhilarated. It was as if he could already smell the chase, the hunt. That was when Clara realized that standing in front of them were the world's greatest hunters, their strength and ferocity unmatched. Looking the lanky man in the bowtie up and down, she wondered how he would get them out of this mess.

Suddenly, the atmosphere changed. The pressure had reached its peak and now everything was going to explode, quickly. An unseen message seemed to have been sent to the entire pack of vampires; they were all in sync like a hunting party.

The torch bearer who'd just appeared licked his pale lips with an equally pale tongue. "Run now, Clara!" The Doctor yelled and all hell broke loose.

Clara broke out in a sprint in the opposite direction. She expected to hear the Doctor's clacking footsteps next to her as she ran, but all she heard were her own feet against the pavement. She turned around as she ran and saw the Doctor still facing, just feet away from, the vampire pack. "Doctor!" She cried, her feet still carrying her away from him.

"Just run Clara!" He yelled back to her without taking his eyes off of the menacing vampires. She could hear a quiver in his voice; he was afraid and suddenly so was she.

"Just ru-"The Doctor never got a chance to finish. His cries were stifled by the pouncing of the twenty-odd vampires. Several landed on top of his lanky body, covering him and pinning him to the ground. The others formed a tight circle around him, preventing any chance of escape.

Clara wanted to turn back, she wanted to run through that circle of vampires and pull them off of him. She wanted to save the Doctor. But she couldn't. She was afraid. She could feel the fear spreading through her. It was icy and it stung, mostly, she thought, because she knew it was keeping her from saving him. Instinct had taken over, fight or flight, and Clara had chosen flight. She ran with all the power in her, as the light grew dimmer as she got farther and farther away from the Doctor.

Soon, the light had gone completely and Clara found herself running in the near pitch blackness. Her legs ached with pain, she wanted to stop, to sit down and give up and she was about to when a voice called to her from the dark. "Turn here. Now!"

Clara did as she was told. Perhaps it was the fear making her mind work illogically, but she did as the bodiless voice commanded, she turned right just as it said now. She was taken down a dark corridor and kept running, barely able to see three feet in front of her. Her heart felt like it was going to beat right out of her chest and she noticed how she could almost feel her blood flowing faster through her veins.

She continued running in the dark, not sure where to stop. The voice didn't call out again, but Clara could hear the clacking of feet intermittently behind her. When it felt like she'd been running for ages, Clara stopped. She felt her way to a wall, for it was now pitch black, and leaned against it her breaths ragged as she gasped for air. Her adrenaline was still in full force and she could feel her head pounding.

She turned as a light suddenly appeared out of the darkness. Holding a small flashlight was a small girl coming from the direction that Clara had just run from. The girl was shorter than Clara by a good few inches and she had light brown hair along with red tinted eyes. Her skin was as pale as a ghost.

"You…" Clara panted. "… you told me to turn down here."

The girl nodded. "Yes. I did." Her voice was soft and kind, like a child's, yet there was an undertone to it that unnerved Clara.

"But why?" Clara asked, having finally caught her breath. "You… you're one of them." Clara could feel herself start to shake, whether it was with fear or anger she couldn't tell.

"Yes." The girl looked at her sadly, her red-tinted eyes glistening sorrowfully at Clara. Clara almost felt bad for the girl, but then she remembered all of the vampires pouncing on the Doctor. "I'm a vampire. But I'm not like the others. I promise."

"Why should I believe you?" Clara asked coldly.

"Why would I lead you down here? Why would I leave you to safety.?"

"Who says I'm safe? You could have just led me to a trap!" Clara cried angrily.

The girl sighed and shown her light up at a patch on the ceiling. There were the bunches of garlic hung just as Clara had seen them before. They separated Clara and the vampire girl. "See." The girl said. "You are safe, I can't even reach you."

"Thank you." The words slipped out of Clara's mouth. "But why would you help me?"

The girl didn't miss a beat with her answer. "I feel bad for you."

"You feel bad? For me?" Clara was taken aback by this.

The girl nodded her head. "Yes. You and him. Welden will tear you two to pieces. I hate Welden. I won't let that happen."

"The stringy blonde haired bloke?" Clara asked, remembering his too chiseled face and his fierce hunter eyes.

She nodded. Her eyes were distant, deep in memories. "I still don't understand." Clara said, hoping to draw the girl back to the present.

"I hate Welden. He's a monster. I know you think I am one, too, but he really is. He let my brother die." The girl had clasped her fists tight, as if she was imagining ringing the blonde vampire's neck. "It was at least ten years ago, I've lost track now and even these memories are becoming foggy, but I remember enough. He used my brother as bait."

"For what?" Clara asked although she already knew the answer.

"For humans." The girl clenched her teeth in silent fury. "He sent him up to lead those humans down here. They followed him, but before we could attack them, they attacked my brother. They burned him till he was just a pile of ashes. Welden stood there and did nothing, then when all of the humans were distracted, thinking that they'd killed the only vampire there, Welden and everyone attacked them. But not me. I just ran to my brothers ashes. When it was all over, all of the humans had been torn apart. I can't even explain to you how happy I am that none of them made it through to our stage."

"I'm so sorry." Was all Clara could think to say. They stood just a few feet apart, yet utterly divided in silence. Neither could meet each other's eyes. "Why didn't they come after me?"

"What would they want a human for, when they've got a time lord?" She looked Clara right in the eye and said. "I've heard that if you think of the most fantastic tasting thing imaginable then that still doesn't match the taste of time lord blood."

Clara was appalled. "So they only want him so they can taste his blood? It's, what, a delicacy?"

"No," The girl sighed. ", I wish that was it. Time lord blood is also rejuvenating to our old bodies, they have to last us a long time."

"You don't look so beaten up."

"No, but I'm not very old. Fifty at most, I think, I've sort of lost track. But that's what I mean, memories and the mind, it clears the mind and refreshes it so that we can remember so much from our past."

Clara was biting her lip, holding back a question. She wanted to ask it, but she was afraid of the answer. Still, she knew that she had to ask. "Will he become a vampire?"

The girl nodded. "Yes, assuming they don't get into a mad frenzy and rip him to shreds."

Clara gasped involuntarily at the thought of the Doctor ripped to shreds. The girl saw Clara's anxiety and her hard expression turned softer, she seemed to understand how Clara felt. "But, there's a way to fix him."

"What?" Clara was surprised. "I thought that once you became a vampire there was no going back."

"Well, not for the old ones, but newly made vampires haven't fully transformed yet. There's still a way of turning them back." The girl said.

"How?" The girl hesitated to answer Clara. "Tell me." Clara ordered. "Tell me, because I have to save him. He needs my help, he's saved me so many times before, he's shown me wonderful, unimaginable things and now he needs me. And I WILL save him. So, you have to tell me."

The girl smiled. It was an odd smile, somewhere in between warmth and insincerity, but Clara thought that it only came across like this, because of the coldness of the small girl. It was unsettling, Clara had decided, to see such a young, almost pretty girl who should be youthful and bouncing with energy, this way, so cold, calculating and yet also so feral.

"I understand." The girl answered as warmly as she could. "My name's Amber. Sit down, I've got a lot to tell you."


	4. Chapter 4: Guilt and Thirst

**I want to thank everyone who's been reading.**

Chapter 4: Guilt and Thirst

The Doctor found himself suddenly awake. His hands touched the icy stone ground. He was about to think how cold the ground was, but then realized that it wasn't the ground that was so cold, it was his own hand. The next thing he noticed was that he could feel every microscopic ridge and bump on the hard floor. He could almost see a picture of the ground, even without opening his eyes.

Then, he heard the whimpering. He nearly laughed when he heard it, it sounded so pathetic. The noise seemed to be coming from close by and with his newly heightened hearing he could hear the noise bouncing off some close walls.

The Doctor opened his eyes. He kept telling himself that it was out of curiosity, but one single feeling was beginning to make its way to the forefront of his mind. Hunger. Thirst. Whatever you want to call it, it was a need that the Doctor now had and one that he had never had before. It was more than just a need, it was like a parasite growing in his mind. The longer he went without drinking, even though it had only been a minute since he'd woken up, the more prevalent the feeling became.

The Doctor gulped, attempting to push it down. He stood up, feeling stiff, as if he was in a new body that hadn't been used its limbs yet. He now saw the small chamber that he was in. The walls were the same kind of stone pattern as the tunnels and the floor was the same concrete. How old was this room? The Doctor gauged sixteenth, maybe seventeenth century, but he wasn't sure.

What he did know is that it was like seeing an entirely new world. Everything was clearer, everything was brighter. He felt like he was looking out of someone else's eyes. Even a time lord didn't see the world in this way, with such breathtaking clarity and beauty.

He smiled when he noticed the old man sitting in front of him. The old man was tied to an old renaissance-looking chair and had a band tied around his mouth, preventing him from speaking, only his muffled screams could be heard.

The Doctor stepped towards the man. He could smell the man sweating with anxiety, he could literally smell the old man's fear. The man's heart was beating double time with terror. Hearing the soft beat of his heart calmed the Doctor and he smiled.

The man squirmed in his chair to no avail as the Doctor approached. Something in the Doctor's head didn't like this. It knew this was wrong, but the rest of the Doctor wasn't listening. His hunger was driving him now more than his mind and before he knew it he was standing over the man, sniffing him, inhaling his prey's intoxicating aroma.

What are you doing?! Something inside him shouted. Maybe it was his conscious, maybe it was something else, but either way the Doctor regained some control over himself and hurriedly brought his head away from the man's neck.

An image of Clara's face flashed in his mind. What would she think of him and what he had almost just done? But then his thoughts turned. Oh how young she was, so passionate and with so much energy. Surely she would taste as good as all of this. The Doctor found himself licking his lips.

"No. No." He muttered to himself. He found it strange that his voice hadn't changed at all.

Unfortunately, the old man decided that now was a good time to attempt escape and he began to squirm and rock his chair again. The Doctor's thoughts interrupted, he turned back to the imprisoned man. The Doctor's pale hands found their way onto the man's shaking shoulders.

"Relax." He said without looking down at the man. He couldn't, he knew what was coming for the man and he was helpless to stop it. The man's tremors increased. "Just relax!" The Doctor cried angrily. He realized that he was shaking now too, but whether it was from guilt or thirst he couldn't tell.

The Doctor clenched the man's shoulders and suddenly there was a crack and the man began to sob. Now the Doctor knew why he was shaking. It wasn't from thirst, it wasn't from guilt. It was from adrenaline, coursing through him. It was from the thrill of seeing his prey so terrified. Ragged breaths escaped the Doctor's mouth. To his credit he tried to resist, but he couldn't.

Suddenly, it was like his brain had been relegated to a secondary position. His instinct took over. He bent down towards the old man's neck and gently placed his cold hand on the man's corroded artery. He could feel it pulse, it was a comforting feeling.

He was vaguely aware that his own two hearts were still beating, slowly, but they still carried a rhythm. And he thought how odd that was, but then his body really did take over. His hunger drove him now.

His mouth came quickly down onto the old man's neck. The old man howled with pain, but the Doctor didn't even here him. He attacked his prey with the strength and skill of a seasoned predator. He didn't even need to think about what he had to do, his body automatically did it.

As the Doctor worked and as the old man cried, the door to the chamber opened partially. The Doctor didn't notice and the old man certainly didn't. Blood red eyes peered into the chamber and watched the Doctor excitedly. They were Welden's eyes and their excitement was matched by his devious smile, showing all of his far too white teeth. A snicker escaped Welden's lips and the door closed again, leaving the Doctor to finish off his dinner.


	5. Chapter 5: A Partnership

Clara sat cross legged just feet away from a vampire girl who looked like she could be her younger sister. It was times like these that reminded Clara of how much her life had changed in these past, what was it weeks? Months? She'd lost track of time, which was easy to do when traveling with the Doctor. Her life had become so much stranger, so much more surprising. Not that she was complaining, but there were times when it all seemed like too much. But after everything she'd seen and everywhere she'd been, she was more scared now than she had ever been before.

Why? She knew, because she felt like she had lost the Doctor. She'd let him slip right through her fingertips and she had no idea how she was going to get him back. Her only chance was to listen to Amber.

"What do we do?" Clara asked seriously.

"First tell me your name."

"Clara."

"Okay Clara."Amber hugged her legs tightly to her chest as she spoke. It made, Clara thought, her look more like a child. "There's a church up there." She pointed above ground. "It's got to be hundreds of years old. There's a well out behind it and it runs deep, deep underground."

"Wait." Clara cut her off. "Are you suggesting we douse him with holy water?"

"Sort of. Okay, to be honest, that doesn't actually work. Neither does the cross, by the way, but this water is different. Deep, deep underground, just where that well ends, there's a ship. It's not from this planet. It's old, older than the church. And it is damaged. It's medical bay has a leak, antibiotics, shots and all sorts of medicines flowing out of it… and into that water. Medicine that can rewrite cells and genes. That is our only hope."

Clara breathed out a sigh of relief. It was a long shot, she could tell by the way Amber was talking, but that didn't matter to Clara. This was her chance to save the Doctor.

"But," Amber continued. ", we don't have much time. You see, his heart, hearts I suppose, are still beating, but they will slow down. Then, they'll stop and there won't be any going back. There will be nothing you, me or anybody can do. So we've got to hurry."

Clara sighed, of course nothing could be simple. "How long?"

Amber shrugged. "Hours? Days? It's different for everyone. But I suggest we hurry and not risk that he's one of those who turn within a few hours."

"How are we supposed to get it to him anyway?" Clara wondered. "I doubt he's going to want to take it, and even if he did, he's in the middle of a pack of vampires, who I doubt will just let me waltz in and take him away."

"That will be a challenge." Amber admitted. "But, Clara, I think you can do it. I can see how much you care about him, how much you want to bring him back. Somehow, and I don't know how I know this, but I know he'll listen to you."

Amber stood up and Clara did the same. They still stood apart, separated by an invisible barrier of garlic, of all things, but Clara did not feel separated or alone now. She realized just how empty she'd been feeling without the Doctor. He'd been her guide, he'd shown her so many magnificent things and now that he wasn't here she felt lost. But now she had a compatriot. They were working towards the same goal and, although it would be tough, some might say impossible, to reach, she at least had someone who was on her side.

"Follow this path. Follow it and then turn left at the first chance you get. Then, just go straight. That will lead you to the surface." Amber directed. "You can easily find a taxi that will take you to the church. Just ask for the oldest church. Get a water bottle or something to hold the water in. Bring it back. I know you can find your way. I'll meet you here."

"You're not coming?" Clara asked disappointedly.

"The sun's still up."

"Oh." Clara sighed.

"We don't have time to wait until night."

"I understand. Well, I better get going." Clara turned and then felt a something small and metallic hit her shoe. She looked down and saw a flashlight at her feet. She picked up its cold body and then turned to Amber.

"You might need that." Amber smiled softly.

"Thanks." Clara turned the flashlight on and began making her way down the cold, dank corridor. She shown the light ahead of her, letting it guide her.


	6. Chapter 6: The Church

**I'm really, really sorry that I haven't posted in so long. Finals and everything have really taken up a lot of time. So, I'm sorry, but now that summer is here I should have more time to write. Again, sorry that this is so short. Thanks for waiting. I really appreciate all of the support that I've gotten with this story. Enjoy!**

The sky was tinged with light as it attempted to burst through from behind menacing gray clouds. The clouds appeared especially dark behind a tall old fashioned church, made entirely of ancient gray bricks. The church sat atop a steep hill, whose grass was turning brown.

This was the sight that greeted Clara, as she stared up from the bottom of the hill. She glanced back at the taxi, the engine still running, waiting at the edge of the road. The driver had refused to come any closer, mumbling something about the hill being too steep, but Clara thought that he was afraid of the old place. And really she couldn't blame him.

There was something in the church's old design, in the shape of the stained glass windows, which made it seem to be watching her. The gothic architecture wasn't helping; it only helped to make the place feel haunted. Clara was having the kind of day, where a haunted church seemed to actually be a distinct possibility.

Looking at her watch, she saw that an hour had already passed since she'd gotten above ground. Time was running out, she knew, but it would certainly be helpful to know just how much time she had left. Clara gathered her courage and began making the long trudge up the hill.

At first she just stared up at the imposing structure ahead of her, but soon she realized that she just couldn't. The church was not only ghostly looking, but it reminded her that this was her only hope. Right now, she was sure of it, the Doctor was gone and in his place was a monster. He was counting on her and whatever she had to do, she would do to get him back. She owed him that much.

"You're my last hope, and the Doctor's too, you freaky old church." She whispered as she walked up the annoyingly steep path.

Finally she reached the top and was greeted with an up close view of the church's tremendous stained glass windows. They came in every color, but had unfortunately faded over the years. Still, though, they made out magnificent patterns. Clara had to admit that this was a magical sight, but she didn't have time to stop and gawk. She walked around the side of the building and found just what she was looking for.

The well. It was old and made of brick. It reminded Clara of a wishing well and memories of times with her mother came back to her. She pushed them away. Just this once, she thought. She couldn't afford to be distracted, the Doctor couldn't afford it.

She stepped up to the well. How it had survived this long, she couldn't figure out. The bricks were starting to crumble and the bar that held up the bucket was splintered. Luckily, the rope seemed to be in good working order. Carefully, she turned the handle and the bucket crept slowly down into the darkness of the well.

Clara kept turning for what felt like forever before she heard a splash as the bucket hit the water far beneath. Clara let it collect the water and then began, just as carefully, pulling it up. She was sure at any moment the rope would snap and she'd be doomed. She could hear the noise of a rope snapping in her head and had to keep reminding herself that it wasn't actually happening. Finally, the bucket made it back to the surface.

Clara sighed with relief and, without letting go of the handle, took out an empty water bottle from her purse. She undid the cap awkwardly with one hand and slipped the bottle into the bucket, letting it fill with water. She took it out and let go of the handle. The bucket fell quicker than she expected, plunging into the dark well. Suddenly, there was a splash from below.

"Oops." Clara said, closing the top to the water bottle.


	7. Chapter 7: Lewering The Doctor

**I'm really sorry that I haven't updated in a while. I was away, so I couldn't update. Thanks for sticking with me. I hope you enjoy. Things will start to pick up from here. Oh and to be clear the break that is coming up is for a passage of time. **

It took Clara another hour to get back to from the church and down into the sewers. After wandering for a good half hour, she found her meeting place with Amber. The young vampire was waiting for her, standing in exactly the same position Clara had left her in.

Clara wondered what the passage of time felt like for someone who could live hundreds, thousands of years. For her, every minute counted, but what was that to an immortal creature? Had the past few hours that had felt so long and drawn out to Clara felt like only a minute to Amber? Clara shivered at the thought, there was something not right about this. But then she remembered how old the Doctor was. Was this how he felt too?

"I've got it!" She called as she approached Amber.

The vampire smiled at Clara and happily answered. "Good! Come here. I've got a plan to get your friend here."

Glowing torches now cast their brilliant light through the corridor as Amber made her way back to the clan of vampires. Amber had always wondered why exactly the torches were put up each night when all of them had relatively good night vision. She thought that Welden liked it, that he had an affinity for powerful things and he considered fire powerful, probably because it was one of the few things that could kill him. She'd contemplated it many times, taking one of the torches and just jabbing it into Welden. Burning him. Turning him into ash. It was all she really wanted, to make him suffer. But she knew that even if she could actually set Welden on fire and kill him, the others would be on her in a second. Then she'd be dead or worse tortured, and she didn't want to die.

She passed two vampires both with long dark hair leaning against a wall aloofly and she knew that she had returned to Welden's immediate domain. She turned a corner and found a majority of the pack standing by a stairwell that led up to the surface. By now, night had fallen and a few lucky hunters had been sent up to collect the evening meal.

Amber had chosen her time to return to the clan carefully. Now was the perfect time, everyone would be feasting and wouldn't notice her and the Doctor slipping away. She just hoped that her plan to persuade the Doctor to follow her worked.

Five long shadows suddenly appeared, stretching from the stairwell down into the catacombs. The shadows moved and grew as their physical forms drew closer and closer until a pack of five vampires, led by Welden appeared. The waiting vampires seemed to heave a collective sigh when they realized that all the hunters had returned with were a mixture of already dead cats and dogs.

Welden was not pleased and immediately commanded their attention, yelling. "You will thank your hunters! They have brought you what you constantly thirst for! They have brought you what you need." The crowd of vampires cheered not insincerely. Satisfied, Welden turned to his hunters and said. "Pass out the meat."

The hunters did as Welden asked and began to hand out the night's meal. Immediately, the vampires turned savage, any sense of humanity in them disappeared as they began to tear into the small animals flesh. Their teeth sunk deep down into the creatures, red blood spewed out and they lapped it up happily. Eating was all consuming, they seemed unaware of anything else, except for the slab of meat that had once been an animal in front of them.

Amber felt her own mind beginning to swerve to thoughts of hunger. However, she had been cultivating her self-control for quite some time now and managed to keep those thoughts at bay. Her job now was to find the Doctor.

It was surprisingly easy, actually. Her tiny stature allowed her to easily pass around the feasting vampires, until she found the lanky bowtie wearing man. He was tearing what appeared to have once been a small dog to pieces with an exuberance that she had never seen before, not even in Welden.

She got as close to him as she could, standing just a few inches away from him. She placed her hand on his shoulder to get his attention, but pulled it away immediately as his mouth snapped at her hand. He narrowly missed her and she now found herself looking into his old eyes. She saw sorrow in them, even though his body was tense for attack. With her heightened hearing she could still hear his hearts beating, slowly, but still beating. The Timelord was still in there, she thought, somewhat surprised by this.

"Doctor." She said.

"Who are you?" He growled, already eyeing the shreds of dog in his pale, cold hands.

She grabbed the meat from him, before he could stop her. "Hey!" He cried angrily.

"This," She said holding up the bloody meat. ", you don't want this?"

"Why not?" The Doctor asked grumpily.

"You didn't even catch it." She said with a slight smile. "In fact, you've never even hunted your own meal."

"That's not true!" He interjected, anger in his eyes. "The old man was mine!"

She didn't know who he was talking about, but she could guess what Welden had done. "The old man?" She laughed. "You think that counts? He was handed to you on a silver platter. No, you've never hunted for yourself."

He was giving her a death stare, but Amber could tell that he was intrigued. She continued. "I can take you somewhere, where you can make your first _real_ kill."

"Where?" He asked curiously.

"Follow me." She began moving through the crowd of still eating vampires carefully. She turned back to make sure that he was following and found that he was. "My name's Amber." She said carefully and kept moving, leading him towards Clara.


	8. Chapter 8: A Monstrous Reunion

**I am really, really sorry that I haven't posted in so long! Well here it is. Thanks for reading. Again, I always appreciate reviews.**

Clara waited, leaning against the wall with the garlic strung up just a foot or so above her head. She was safe and would continue to be as long as she stayed on this side. And she would, at least until Amber returned with the Doctor.

But Clara was growing impatient. It felt like it had been hours since Amber had headed off to find him. What if Amber had abandoned her? Or worse, what if she had realized that there was no hope for the Doctor and had given up? Clara held the water bottle filled with her last hope to her chest protectively, silently willing Amber to return with the Doctor.

She'd kept her flashlight on the entire time, afraid to be left in the dark. But she worried that it would go out just when she needed it most. She was going to turn it off, just for a few minutes, when two shadows began approaching her. At first, she squinted to see them, but soon they were within her view.

It was Amber and the tall, lanky bowtie- clad man walking next to her was definitely the Doctor. But as they drew closer to her, she could see just how different the Doctor looked. His skin was snow white, any drop of vibrant color had seemed to be bleached and she could vaguely see blue veins under his skin. His lips were pale, as if he was sick and dark shadows had manifested under his eyes, which were an odd mixture of red and gold now.

His face had changed too, but only subtly. If she looked quickly at him, then he looked the same, but upon a closer investigation it became obvious that many things were different. His face was more drawn and seemed to have taken on a more angular look. The paleness of his face made his skin look like marble and the emotionless look that he carried made her think that perhaps all he was now was a walking statue.

The way he walked had also changed, she noticed. Before he had walked in a kind of way that only someone as lanky as him could pull off, but now he walked with a kind of overconfidence. He stood up straighter as he stepped towards her. She was surprised to find herself describing his new walk as graceful. But that's what it was.

However, there was more to his new demeanor than simply graceful or statue-like. There was a sense that at any moment he would pounce. That he could, and would, suddenly shift into attack position. Worse than that though, he gave off the air that if he did attack then he would win. She went through her memories of the Doctor and could not remember a single time when she'd felt threatened by him, until now. Unconsciously, she took a step backwards.

A small smile twitched at the edge of his lips; he'd noticed her step backwards. He was pleased by it. This frightened Clara even more; he was glad that she was scared by him. But now was not the time to show fear, least of all fear of the man she was trying to save.

Mustering all of her bravery, Clara took a step forward. If the Doctor was surprised by this he didn't show it. Clara now stood just one inch behind the line that separated her from the Doctor.

"Hello Doctor." She said in as calm a tone as she could.

He cocked his head to one side and stared at her, but did not answer right away. He was observing her, she realized. His new eyes glided around in their sockets, looking her up and down. They stopped on her face and stayed there. The eyes were unnatural and not at all like the ones she was used to seeing on the Doctor. His eyes would have stared at her with a kindness that could almost be described as grandfatherly and with a curiosity that made him look like a child. These new eyes showed no kindness, pity maybe, but no kindness. They were the eyes of a ravenous animal and although they too appeared curious, Clara was sure it was only a curiosity as to what she tasted like. Clara knew that she could not let him intimidate her, so she stared straight into his eyes. Her hands had started to shake slightly and she could feel the slight moistening of them with sweat. She was afraid, but she couldn't let him know it.

Finally he answered. "Hello Clara."

Clara was at a loss for words. How different his voice had become! It was still obviously his, but it had become more smooth and more refined somehow (which she thought was quite ironic). His voice stuck on certain syllables that they hadn't before, she thought it sounded like he was trying to sound different. Like he was trying to create a new voice for himself, one that he thought fit his new persona more.

"Clara," He said before she could say anything. ", you smell amazing."

She didn't know how to respond to that.

"Did you know that?" He asked, a smile spreading across his face, showing stunningly white teeth. "Did you know that I could smell you? Why, I can nearly taste you."

Clara mustered her courage, looked the Doctor straight in the eye and said. "Doctor you need help."

He laughed. It was a cold, uncaring laugh that told her that she was losing him. "You're such a silly thing, Clara. So small and delicate… and breakable. That's the problem with all those other species. Their bodies break so easily. Break and decay." He gestured towards his body, like it was suddenly something so new and different from what he'd had before. "Do I look sick or hurt or vulnerable?"

She had to admit that he did not look any of those things, but that didn't mean that he didn't need her help. He looked strong and unbreakable now, but he also looked vicious and bloodthirsty. He was getting less and less like the Doctor by the minute.

"Doctor this isn't right." She said. He smiled again, as if what she'd said was the funniest thing in the world. "No!" She cried, reminding herself of a whining child. "Stop that! Don't just smile and laugh! This isn't funny. This isn't you."

"Why?" He asked, looking truly confused.

"Why?" And she was confused by his question.

"Yes, Clara. Why? Why can't it be me? It doesn't fit me, does it? Power? Strength? Agility?" He was getting angry and the angrier he got the less like the Doctor he looked. A fire ignited behind his eyes and his iris' turned blood red. Something primal was oozing out of him, he was beginning to look more and more like a hunter.

Clara was getting more and more angry herself though. This wasn't him. This wasn't the man who had run up to her door dressed as a monk and taken her out to see places beyond her wildest dreams. He was the man she was fighting for right now. And she would fight as hard as she could, because he was a good man worth fighting for.

"Doctor," She said letting her anger seep through into her voice. ", this isn't you, because you aren't a monster. You're a good man. You'd never hurt anyone. I don't care if you're stronger or faster or even smarter, because you've turned into something you're not, which is a killer! A cold blooded murderer!"

The redness in his eyes receded slightly and she could see their original color peeking through underneath. His entire physicality seemed to change in an instant. Again, the slightly clumsy, lanky man stood in front of Clara, maybe not in his full capacity, but more so than he'd been before. His face had softened, looking more natural now instead of stone-like.

He smiled sadly at her and she could see small wet tears welling up at the corners of his eyes. "I'm sorry Clara. I'm so, so sorry."

"It's okay." She said feeling like she was consoling a child. "It's just important that you're back. I've got a way to help… What are you doing?"

He'd stepped forward, coming towards her and stepping right over the garlic barrier. He was hunched over, his eyes staring straight at the ground. They didn't look up at her once as he said. "I'm sorry Clara. Really I am."

Clara backed away slowly. What was he doing? He'd seemed like the Doctor, he still seemed like the Doctor, but he was going to attack her. She didn't understand.

"What are you doing?" Clara heard Amber yell, but now that the Doctor was over the barrier Amber could do nothing. Clara was on her own.

"Please. Please stop." Clara pleaded. He'd crossed over the barrier, which was her only protection.

"I could have crossed over that line at any moment." His voice had transformed back, any sounds of humanity in it had been erased. "It was merciful of me to wait. Don't you think?"

In one swift motion, he looked up. Clara very nearly screamed, but she held it back. His eyes were blood red now. He licked his pale lips, with an equally pale tongue, imagining what she would taste like. He was hunched over, like he was crouching down, ready to attack. His arms were out, ready to grab her, and his fingers were wiggling excitedly.

"Doctor, you don't have to do this." He just kept coming closer. "Please stop! It's me, Clara, Doctor!"

With an unnatural burst of speed, he'd suddenly grabbed her. He held her close to him, smelling her. He let her scent intoxicate him. It was a magnificent scent and made all the more special, because this was his first real hunt. He laughed joyfully, a crazed sound.

"Doctor please stop!" Clara yelled, half mad with fear. "Please! You're not a monster, Doctor! You're not a killer!"

The Doctor smiled down at her. He grabbed her chin and made her stare up at him. There was nothing left of the real Doctor in his eye. He was just a rabid animal now.


	9. Chapter 9: The Cure

**This is where I apologize for not posting in so long. Sorry, my other Doctor Who story and non-fanfiction stories were taking up a lot of time. School's going to be starting soon, so I don't know how regularly I'll be posting (not that I've been posting that regularly this summer either). Thanks for reading and I appreciate all of the support I've been getting. Thanks everyone. As always, reviews or pm's or whatever are appreciated. Letting me know how I'm doing is the only way I'll get better. Also, this isn't a whouffle story. Just thought I'd point that out, in case it comes off like that. Enjoy!**

"Please, Doctor! Please, Doctor!" Clara pleaded. All other words had vanished from her vocabulary and fear was quickly becoming her only thought and feeling. _I'm going to die. I'm going to die. I'm going to die… or worse._ She thought as her entire body was wracked by terrified tremors. "Please stop!"

The Doctor stared down at her; a smile tinged the edges of his lips. He'd never seen her this scared before. Even through all of their adventures she had never been this terrified. And the fear smelled delicious. It smelled sweet and sugary, which was good enough. But it also smelled of life. The fear to preserve it was so strong; it was intoxicating.

"Please stop squirming, Clara. This will be so much easier if you stay still." He said in a tight, controlled voice, but underneath the control were cracks of… humanity, of real emotion, of the real Doctor. Even so, he pulled Clara close to him, so that their chests touched.

She could hear the soft beating of his two hearts. The sound was now no more than a soft plink, like the sound of a drop of water. They beat slowly and every time there was silence Clara was sure that she'd never hear the odd double beat again. But the beats continued.

_He's still in there._ The thought breaking through the fear. "Doctor," She said, her voice still shaky as she mustered her courage. ", you. Don't. Want. To. Kill. Me." She punctuated each word, saying them slowly and deliberately.

His face was impassive, looking like he hadn't even heard her. But in truth he had and the time lord part of him was grabbing onto those words like they were his lifeline, which they were. The urge to kill Clara right now was so great. The urge to just wring her neck and to get her words out of his head, but he resisted.

He wanted to say something to her, to tell her that everything was going to be okay (even though he wasn't sure if it would be), but if he opened his mouth he wasn't sure what he would do. Would he kindly talk to her as her friend or would his teeth find a way onto her neck?

He hated scaring her. He hated not being sure whether he was going to kill her if he opened his mouth. And most of all he hated how delicious she smelled.

Clara noticed the clear wetness of tears hanging at the edge of his eyes. The Doctor was standing in front of her now, he might not be completely there, but at least he'd surfaced.

Clara conjured up all of her bravery, knowing that the Doctor was not simply going to be able to just save himself. "Doctor, I need you to let go of me. I have something that I think can help you, but you need to let me go."

He did nothing, his old, weary eyes just stared at her. His arm twitched slightly, but he didn't let her go. "Doctor, I'm not going to leave you. I want to help you, but I can only do that if you let me go."

The Doctor gritted his teeth and, his arms shaking, released her. Clara felt an overwhelming sense of relief, but there was no time for that now. The water bottle was still in her hands. Carefully, she unscrewed the top.

"Doctor, open your mouth." She said nervously.

His eyes went wide with terror. He shook his head no.

He still didn't know what he'd do. He was too afraid that he'd kill her. Not to mention, that there was a tingling feeling in the back of his head now. He didn't know what it was, but it felt strong, cold and… savage.

He opened his mouth and tried as hard as possible not to breathe in her intoxicating smell. If he didn't do this now then he was sure he'd never get the chance. Quickly, Clara put the bottle to his lips and poured the water down his throat.

It was cold and tasted like it had been sitting at the bottom of a well for quite some time. Half the bottle was down, but then suddenly in one swift motion the Doctor's arm came up and swiped the bottle out of Clara's hand, sending it careening into the wall. The remaining water splashed onto the ground.

"Half the bottle's enough, right?" Clara asked anxiously.

Amber shook herself out of her paralysis. She nodded slowly. "I think."

"Is it or isn't it?" Clara snapped.

"I… I'm not sure. It's not an exact science. I don't know!" Amber stammered.

The Doctor stood completely still in front of them. He was waiting, waiting for something to happen, waiting to feel like himself again, to rid himself of the wild animal that had taken over him. But nothing happened.

"Doctor, how do you feel?" Clara asked.

His eyes flickered up to her. They were blood red.

"It didn't work, Clara!" He yelled angrily. Suddenly, he was on her again clutching her arms. She tried to squirm away, but his grip was like iron. "It didn't work! You said you could help me, Clara!"

"I'm sorry!" Clara cried. He was more terrifying than before like this. He seemed to be the Doctor, but unhinged like something had snapped in his head. "I thought it would work!"

Her eyes drifted to Amber, who was staring right at her. Amber's face was calm and Clara suddenly understood what she was about to do. No, Clara mouthed, but Amber just gave her a weak smile.

"It was my idea. I'm the one who told Clara how to save you." Amber said calmly.

The Doctor spun around, releasing Clara in the process. He began taking angry, heavy steps towards Amber. His arms were shaking. He bared his teeth at her and said. "It's your fault!"

He'd gained speed and was suddenly on top of Amber. He picked her up by her shoulders and held her against a wall. "I should stake you. I should take you back to the pack and have them burn you. I should pull all of your limbs from you sockets and burn them individually. I should…"

"Doctor, listen to yourself!" Clara cried. This was her only hope now, to appeal to his humanity and hope that somehow he'd turn back. Deep down, though, she knew that this was impossible. "Just listen to what you're saying!"

His grip loosened and Amber fell to the ground, panting. He blinked, like he was waking up. He bent down to where she'd fallen and said gently. "I'm sorry."

Amber nodded as if she accepted his apology, but her eyes were still wide with fear and her voice seemed to be caught in her throat. Even when the Doctor walked, his steps deliberate and controlled, back to Clara she remained pressed against the wall in a kind of shock.

"What do we do now?" Clara asked, not really expecting anyone to have an answer.

The Doctor thought for a moment. A small smile spread across Clara's face when she saw him thinking; he looked more like the Doctor like this. Suddenly, he turned to her excitedly. "Clara! I've got it! Don't know why I didn't think of it before, well it was probably the vampirism, but still…" His eyes were bright and excited. He was smiling and nodding furiously, obviously pleased with himself.

"Well, what is it Doctor?" Clara urged.

"It's so simple. All we need to…" Suddenly, as if he'd just been punched in the chest, he grabbed his chest in pain. The next thing Clara knew he was on his knees gasping for breath.

"Doctor!" She cried and rushed to his aide. She could only hope that it was still the Doctor that she was rushing to help.

He put his arm around her shoulder to steady himself and looked into her eyes, his grim and bloodshot. "Clara," He said. ", one of my hearts just stopped."


	10. Chapter 10: Running on One Heart

**Hello everyone! Thank you so much for reading and reviewing! I'm sorry I haven't updated in a while, but here's a new chapter. Enjoy and as always feedback is much appreciated.**

Clara sat stunned, holding the Doctor, who was clutching his chest as if at any second it would disappear. "Doctor, what do we do?" She asked trying to keep calm. But that was very difficult to do when the man who was supposed to have the answers was staring off into space looking as terrified as Clara felt. "Doctor, what do we do?" She repeated.

At the sound of her voice, the Doctor turned to her and stared into her soft brown eyes. She stared back into his, which she found had transformed into a frightened old man's whose world was collapsing around him. "I can feel it." The Doctor said weakly, having only one heart running was taking its toll on his body. "I can feel death setting in."

"Don't say that." Clara bit back tears.

The Doctor shook his head weakly. "I've died before. Ten times, in fact. And you know what made it all right?" The Doctor stopped to catch his breath, then said. "I always knew that when I died I'd come back as the same person. Sure I'd have a new face, a new body, a new personality, but in the end I was always me. Always the Doctor. Not this time and that's what scares me. Whoever walks away after this won't be me."

Their eyes locked. The Doctor's eyes gazed sadly up at her, but she could tell he wasn't really looking at her. His eyes were full of memories; she wondered how far back they went, how many people he remembered, and how many places? His eyes were an old man's who wanted to remember a better time, the past. Because whatever was coming in the future was going to hurt.

"Clara?" He was staring at nothing; she didn't even think he could see her anymore, but he was calling her name and she had to respond.

"Yes, Doctor. I'm here." Clara said softly whispering into his ear.

"Clara, before I… go please run. Get away from here. Get back to the TARDIS or get up onto the streets. I don't care, but run." He was speaking quickly, with all the strength he had left.

"I'm not leaving you." She said firmly.

"Then you are going to die." He said plainly. Then, more quietly. "And I'll be the one to kill you."

Clara blinked. Hearing him say it, he sounded so resigned to the fact that it was going to happen, she felt like there was no chance left. She'd tried her best, but her best hadn't been good enough. When it came time for the Doctor to need her, she'd failed.

Tears sprung to her eyes as she said. "You'd never do that."

"I wouldn't, but whoever I become will."

"Shut up!" She cried suddenly. "Shut up, Doctor! Shut up and think, because you are not going to die! Not here! Not now!" She grabbed him and shook him hard, hoping against all else that a solution was out there.

"Clara…" He started sounding despondent.

"I said think! Use that big brain of yours! You've seen so much, been so many places, surely there's an answer out there somewhere! Think!"

The Doctor closed his eyes and concentrated. For a moment, Clara thought that he'd fallen asleep, but then his eyes shot open, a smile grabbed his pale lips and he whispered excitedly. "Clara prop me up."

Clara did just that, which was quite hard since he was a full nine inches taller than her. But soon she had him standing up, although he was leaning on her for support.

"Clara let's get moving!" He cried with new found energy. "We've got to get to the TARDIS!"

"Why?" Clara asked. "What are we going to do?"

The Doctor smiled excitedly. "Two words. Chameleon Arch."


End file.
